Ashes to Dust
by EviIPaladin
Summary: A young storekeeper named Ashley Match lives her life as she meets some of Vale's brightest shining hopes... and Jaune! No real shipping but there are OCs; you've been warned! Slow start but will pick up as the story continues. Expect most, if not all, of the canon characters to show up! Sometimes will get a little silly.
1. Chapter 1: Grand Opening

**Hey y'all, Evii here. While everybody is off having fun with their shipping antics and big cool action Schnees (shut up that pun works) I decided to try my hand at something a little less crazy. This fic will focus around a young shopkeeper named Ashley Match and her interactions with both canon characters and one other set of OCs. The first two chapters (including this one duh) won't be super fast-paced due to the need to introduce characters in my writing style. So sorry in advance for that.**

**Updating speed is kind of up in the air as when I wrote this bit the first time it took like two days but this time it took over a week as I constantly found myself disapproving of it. But here it is. Comments and criticism are always appreciated.**

**Chapter 1: Grand Opening**

It was a cool fall morning and a solitary teen was outside on this cobblestone street in Vale City. Her long black hair was tied up into a ponytail whose red tips dangled as she shuffled along the rocky road, sweeping the dirt away from the store she stood outside of. Her light brown uniform cut off just above her ankles and it swayed as she methodically continued her brushing. Taking a brief break, the girl's tired grey eyes saw that her work was almost finished. _Thank Dust_, she thought to herself as she picked the broom back up and continued.

She was not back into the work long before a loud interruption proceeded above her. Looking up into the calm blue sky, a fleet of airships soared overhead. The girl frowned a little and sighed, part of her still wishing she could be on those ships with the emblem of Beacon emblazoned upon them: the crossed axes that trained future Hunters to defend the realm. But no, that was not this girl's destiny; her life was to assist the Hunters and the everyday men, women, and children in Vale City with her wares.

After the soaring airships finished passing, the teen prepared to return to the warmer confines of her store. If she was lucky, she might even have time for a nice relaxing nap or bath before opening time was upon her. However, before she could enter the shop, a loud and brazen voice called out to her.

"How are we doing on this fine morn, Ashley?"

The boisterous voice was one of Ashley's few acquaintances in this big city she had just moved to and it always managed to make her smile. Turning around she saw the figure of an older portly gentleman walking down the street with greying hair and an impossibly large moustache. Wiping the dirt from her hands off on the apron she was wearing over top of her uniform, she turned and nodded politely. "Good, how are you doing, Professor Port?"

"If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times, my dear Ashley," began Professor Peter Port, chuckling beneath his facial hair. "You are to call me Peter. When your grandmother passed and left you the family store, she also told me to look after you. And of course, I, Professor Peter Port, shall do this with all the sheer tenacity and skill as should be expected of me!"

Ashley couldn't help but giggle a bit at the teacher's ridiculous pomp. Professor Port shot back with a stern glare from his seemingly closed eyes. "Sorry, umm, Profess—I mean, umm, Peter," she mumbled, her social anxiety popping into her second sentence with a person like clockwork. For as long as the teen could remember, she was able to sustain a very short social interaction with someone but if it was anything more than a simple hello or how are you, she would begin to mumble and start inserting pauses in her speech.

Professor Port was well aware of this, having known Ashley since she was only a little girl. "Do not worry, dearest Ashley; far more intimidating foes have been… ahh… Intimidated by me than you. Speaking of which, I am on my way to meet with my new first year students! I am going to be early so that I can both set a good example and regale them with a tale of my endless strength and skill!"

"You, uhh, might want to hurry, Profess—I mean, umm, Peter," the teen quietly responded, pointing up. "A bunch of, umm, airships passed by to Beacon a couple minutes ago."

She swore she caught a glimpse of Professor Port's irises in his initial shocked reaction. Though if she had seen them, it was such a sort period that she could not remember them. Yelling something about seizing the day and working hard, Port was off towards the nearest airship station, at a speed his size would suggest impossible. Once again, Ashley couldn't help chuckling before taking off the apron and brushing the dirt off her uniform and hands.

Once inside the shop, the young woman took a deep breath of the somewhat stale air and smiled. A few clear pipes were set-up on the left-most wall, half filled with a wide variety of brightly coloured Dust. Meanwhile, there were plenty of wooden shelves that held either more Dust, in other forms, and a variety of other convenience goods such as candies and magazines. It wasn't a large shop, being rather cosy, but it was Ashley's. She smiled to herself as she walked to the back of the store. A pair of doors were before her; the left one the staircase to her mini-apartment above the store and the right one a supply closet, in which she stored her broom and apron before removing a quaint little stool with a soft pillow nailed onto the top. As she brought it over to the central check-out and assistance desk, she plucked a copy of _Young Hunters Monthly_ from the stand.

Sitting down with her favourite gossip and information magazine in hand and facing towards the glass door, Ashley cast a quick look over to her left to see the clock above the restrooms. _6:45_, it read, much to the shopkeeper's delight. Opening time wouldn't be for another hour and fifteen minutes… Not like there would be a line-up. Ashley sighed as she remembered her attempts at spreading the news earlier that week, trying to use regular tape to put up notices and them all flying away in the strong fall wind.

Yawning suddenly, Ashley figured a quick nap wouldn't harm anyone, or her sales, so she slowly made her way up into her cramped little apartment with its cramped little bed to take a cramped little nap, putting her as-of-yet unread copy of _Young Hunters Monthly_ on her small wooden bedside table before fumbling with her alarm clock. Drawing the covers over her uniform, she let her weariness whisk her away.

After what felt like no time had passed, Ashley groggily opened her eyes and looked at her alarm clock. _11:28_, it read. "Oh Dustdammit!" she cursed, tossing her blanket aside and rubbing what fragment of sleep still remained in her eyes out. Grabbing her magazine, the young shopkeeper blazed her way down the stairs and over to her stool and the checkout desk. Dropping her magazine on it, she kept running until she reached the door, flipping the signage so that the 'Welcome! We're Open!' side of it faced the street.

Sitting up on her wooden and pillow perch, Ashley finally opened up her magazine to sigh in disappointment. Pyrrha Nikos was, once again, declared the champion of the Mistral Regionals. The shopkeeper was none too fond of the red-head as she seemed to be perfect. Ashley was no stranger to her own flaws and knowing people better than her but perfection really browned her biscuits. It couldn't exist and yet she saw it staring back at her with those shining green eyes and warm, generous smile. _No_, she thought, adamantly. _She has a flaw I know it! No one can be so pretty, so nice, so strong…_

Her nitpicking was interrupted before it began by a quiet chime that Ashley had been looking forward to hearing all week. Her first customer had arrived! Quickly stashing her reading material, the young shopkeeper smiled as warmly as she could towards the middle-aged man who had wandered into her establishment. "Good morning sir, is there anything I can do to be of assistance?" Ashley felt as if the greeting had carried on any longer, it would have left her shaking.

The rather non-descript, for Ashley could not discern much about him that would be memorable, man was not the first customer she had hoped and made a little Dust shrine to in her room. Rather, he simply needed to use the restrooms. Visually disappointed, she gestured to her left and returned to her magazine.

Just as the man was leaving and thanking her for letting him use the restroom, Ashley finished the interview and leaped to her feet. "Pyrrha's coming to Beacon?!" The storekeeper grinned mischievously. That meant that she would likely end up shopping for Dust. And if she ended up buying Dust from Ashley… She'd be famous! She was already imagining how fast business would take off if she could put the face of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes all over her promotional material…

Ashley took another, more mischievous, thought. Perhaps she could give the girl bad Dust or maybe trick her into stealing some Dust. That would work perfectly… If Ashley had the capabilities to go through with such a terrible thing. Pyrrha might infuriate her with what seemed like perfection, but Ashley couldn't do something cruel to her; it just wasn't in her nature. Not to mention if Pyrrha got angry over it, the poor shopkeeper wouldn't stand an ounce of a chance of the maelstrom of pain the Mistral Regional Champion would bring down upon her. And Ashley was not one to sacrifice her own life for the sake of a sense of twisted justice.

Although as the minutes on the clock crawled by, the girl was beginning to regret that lifelong belief. Maybe if she had pushed herself just a little harder, moved just a little faster, thought a little more intelligent… Missing out on making it into a school for Hunters-in-training was one memory that the teen relived every day. She hadn't been strong, fast, or strategic enough for the schools; almost always falling just short of reaching their standards. She had thought about applying one last time when her grandmother passed. At that point, she had been entrusted with the store and she couldn't just leave it to pursue her own dreams. There was no way she'd be able to fund her way without being able to do well enough for scholarships…

Ashley's long thought process of regret and paths untraveled was thankfully interrupted by what could potentially be her true first customer. Stowing her magazine with surprising speed and effectiveness, she smiled at the newcomer – a woman who was also seemed strangely featureless upon examination – who was in fact looking for a Dust crystal for her daughter! She had been leaving to catch the next airbus when she saw that the store was open not far from home.

After a rather muted conversation, Ashley was boxing a beautiful emerald crystal which she assured the customer would bring out the azure in her daughter's eyes. She couldn't help but smile as the woman gushed over her daughter who was on the rise and not long from Beacon. Noel was her name and the woman said that Ashley reminded her a lot of her in that she was far too timid for how smart and kind she was. The shopkeeper giggled at that, trying to deflect the praise. As the customer left from Ashley's thanks and invitation to come back, she felt a warm feeling of joy inside her. Not only had she earned some money but had made a customer happy simply by listening and mumbling the odd reply.

However, the store returned and remained quiet as the closing hour quickly approached. Ashley, now the fond memory of her first customer and her daughter Noel beginning to fade from memory, sighed as she moved to turn flip the sign on the door over to the 'Sorry, We're Closed!' side when she saw a familiar figure barreling towards her. "Professor Port, how are you doing tonight?"

"I am doing spectacularly wonderful, my dear Ashley," replied the older man, surprisingly not wheezing for breath despite having run from the airbus station to the store. "I simply wished to drop by to ask after your inevitable runaway success."

Ashley chuckled nervously and scratched the nape of her neck. "N-not, umm, great. Only one real customer…"

However, the teen caught a sparkle behind Port's closed eyes. "Oh well, the first day is always a rather tumultuous time. I, Professor Peter Port, can state, without a shadow of a doubt, that tomorrow your business will increase by at least an astounding 400%!" Checking his pocket watch, he bowed shortly to Ashley before smiling another coy grin from beneath his bush of a moustache. "My apologies, my dearest Ashley, but I must be off. I have promised to help another old friend with the beautiful and cherished art of babysitting whilst she is working the night shift. Until our next wondrous meeting!"

And in the blink of an eye, the rotund teacher was off running again. Finally getting back to her duty of closing the shop, Ashley tiredly shambled up the stairs, letting loose a surprisingly loud yawn. Quickly getting into her boxy new pyjamas with the wooden-esque design, she crawled between the sheets for the second time today, reflecting on what had happened. But her mind was dead-set on unlocking the answer to Professor Port's secret riddle. And so Ashley Match drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the possibilities of who would stop by _Ashes to Dust_, of red-heads and blondes, of athletes and dweebs like her.

**A/N: So... That was a thing. I hope you enjoyed it and got a bit of a feel for little Ashley Match. Next chapter, Ashley comes face to face with one of her worst fears: her peers! (ha that rhymed!) Also, if someone can guess what little crossover hint I dropped in this chapter gets... A congrats from me, I guess. Tune in for the next chapter of ****_Ashes to Dust_****: DISHING OUT DIRT!**


	2. Chapter 2: Dishing Out DIRT

**A/N: Hey y'all! Thanks for all the kind feedback and interest, I really appreciate it! This chapter would've gotten up sooner but I got a little over my head in this spreading joy thing on Tumblr, which I've been trying to work through. However, I eventually managed to finish off this little chapter in which we meet my OC team; Team DIRT! Despite the unfortunate name and their varied quirks, this team of fourth years mean business! Literally in this chapter. After this chapter we'll be back to some actual canon characters (yay~).**

**Friendly reminder that RWBY and all canon people, locations, and concepts belong to RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum. OCs and OC locations belong to me.**

**Chapter 2: Dishing Out DIRT**

Ashley yelped and leaped off her bed as the blaring alarm went off, her blanket firmly cocooned around her. Wiggling her way up so that her upper body rested on the edge of the bed, she scowled at the noisy device and silenced it by masterfully manoeuvering her chin to slam on the ALARM OFF button. _6:30_, the clock forged in the deepest ring of Hell read. Grumbling with all the pent-up annoyance she could muster, the shopkeeper disentangled herself of her covers and ended up flopping to the floor. To say that this was a rather rough start to her second day running _Ashes to Dust_ would be quite the understatement. But Ashley wasn't going to give up on account of a loud alarm clock and an uncomfortable rising. Brushing herself off, she hopped in for a quick shower before dressing up into her uniform and descending the stairs.

She still had another 30 minutes before opening, so Ashley decided to double check all the Dust reserves quickly before grabbing another magazine, _Weapons_. While she firmly believed that she would never use a weapon in her life, sometimes Ashley would flip through the magazine articles and marvel at the love and craftsmanship put into some weapons. Not only that but also at the skill some Hunters used what appeared to be impossible weaponry as easily as someone might draw a breath. She wondered what it must be like to be able to perform amazing feats and asked about it all. _Not for me_, she decided, only having to imagine all the hassle of training and giving interviews and being expected to be a role model.

Lost in her thoughts, Ashley was dragged back to reality by knocking on the glass door. Confused, she checked the clock behind her. _7:24_, it read to her confusion. Not only had she been staring off into space for the last ten minutes but it was still before opening hours. Suddenly recalling her conversation the night before with Professor Port, she figured that maybe they had just come by earlier than expected. A wide smile adorning her face, she opened the door and a shrill shriek filled her ears as she was tackled to the ground. "OhmyDustyouarethecutestlittlestorehelperever!"

Ashley blinked as she found a taller girl having been the reason for her collapse and likely the high pitched screech she had heard moments before. She had bright brown eyes which matched her short shimmering auburn hair. Her wide grin showed slight hints of an overbite but mostly served as a window to her sunny disposition. Of course, all these traits went unnoticed by Ashley at first due to the fact that her attacker seemed to be wearing the skin of an Ursa with the accompanying face plate covering half her face.

"Ur-Ur-Ur-URSA!" screeched the shopkeeper, slamming her balled up fists into her aggressor, accomplishing nothing but a laugh out of her.

"Play nice, Tawny," spoke a calm voice, with a slight tone of annoyance sneaking its way in. The taller girl frowned and reluctantly got off Ashley, who bounded to her feet and back a step or two before examining the group in front of her.

Aside from the girl in the Ursa skin – who must be Tawny – there was a boy in a black hoodie, a girl in a silvery dress, and another boy in an emerald tracksuit. The boy in black cleared his throat, not taking his eyes off of Ashley. "I believe introductions are in order. You are Miss Ashley Match, yes?"

Before Ashley could respond the other male member of the group laughed and jabbed the boy in black. "Lighten up, Darren; that's clearly not her. Portly said she runs the store but this kid is too young and cute to have the stressful job of running a Dust shop." His deep crimson eyes glistened and Ashley could almost swear she saw herself in them.

"Could you try not looking like an idiotic flirt for five seconds, Raqib? Honestly." The girl in silver brushed a strand of pure white hair out of her glowing amber eyes, making Ashley realize the girl was a Faunus. "In any case, where is Miss Matc—" A flicker of annoyance crossed the Faunus's face. "Wow, her name is Miss Match… This is ridiculous…" She glared at Raqib, who was grinning sheepishly. "I bet this is Professor Port's idea of a joke after your last outburst in class! Ugh, I cannot believe you humans sometimes... Honestly."

"Umm…" Ashley struggled to make herself heard amongst the arguing group, still a little confused about what was going on. "My name… I mean, uhh, I'm Ashley Match…" The Faunus and Raqib were still arguing and had not heard her but Tawny and Darren seemed to have mastered tuning out their two other comrades. Tawny giggled and moved to hug the shopkeeper before Darren grabbed her by the neck and raised an eyebrow.

"You really are?" Darren looked her once over as Ashley re-examined him. He seemed quite tall but on further examination, Ashley realized it was just his self-confident stance that gave him the illusion of height, being about average. The same could be said of his lean yet slightly muscular build. His cropped black hair was barely visible beneath his hood but his deep, dark green eyes were anything but hidden. The feeling of his analytical gaze sent nervous shivers down her back; it was a vaguely disturbing feeling comparable to being sized up by an enemy. However, his focused tight mouth moved to a small, reassuring grin. "Well it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Match," he said, extending a hand.

Ashley hadn't even noticed that she had fallen into her rather embarrassing stance of hugging herself. Blushing furiously, she tried to look down at her feet to hide her face as she shook his hand. "L-likewise…" A sudden realization hit home as she attempted to regain her composure. "Umm… Who are you, uhh, people exactly?"

The other two had noticed finally decided to take a break for bickering like an old married couple to notice that the rest of their quartet had continued to talk to the shy little girl. "We are the great and glorious Team DIRT," exclaimed the crimson eyed boy, bowing with a flamboyant flair. "We were sent directly by old man Portly himself to acquire some Dust supplies for the poor hopeless first years who will have to suffer his drab draining stories of his so-called valour."

Ashley couldn't take it. She tried to hold it back but the chuckle escaped her lips and quickly grew in volume. The four all were far too painfully aware of what the source of the humour was from and reacted in a variety of ways. Darren sighed, Tawny chuckled herself, and Raqib scratched his lightly bearded chin. The girl Faunus, however, was furious. "Just what do you think you're laughing at, _girl_?" She stood over the shopkeeper as the laugh died down. "I, Impala Ivarice, will not stand for such an insult from a mere human girl who knows not her place! Honestly!"

As she looked to raise her hand, it is cheerfully grabbed by a smiling Tawny. "No need to be such a grumpypants, Impally!" The girl in the Ursa skin turned her happy gaze to the cowering shopkeeper, ignoring the burning gaze from her teammate. "Rachibi was right, Professor Porty sent us to pick up a Dust order for the precious little ones starting at Beacon this year."

Ashley was a little blown away as she examined the piece of paper Darren handed her, listing the order. On the one hand, Professor Port had someone managed to convince the headmaster of Beacon Academy, one of the most prestigious Hunter academies in all of Remnant, to put a very large and important order for Dust through her shop. On the other hand, she got extremely nervous over the sheer size of the order, as it would bring her reserves down to under half her total stock.

"Are you okay there?" asked Darren, noticing her shaking as she read the note. Looking around the shop, he noticed that it was far less filled than he had expected. He wondered why Professor Port had chosen this shop. It was run by a girl who, by his brief examination, couldn't be older than 18 although was probably closer to 16. It was small and not exactly overflowing with Dust. However, maybe due to the outbreak in attacks on Dust shops the large older man figured this one would be safe from getting hit. While Darren had always found Professor Port a little full of himself, the grey-haired teacher always seemed to have a sort of hidden intelligence about him. The Huntsman-in-Training at the very least respected and trusted his professor in making calls and this would be no different.

"Umm… I think so…" murmured Ashley, still running the figures over in her head.

"Make a decision already, girl," spat Impala, still very much fuming as she brushed a lock of her long platinum hair out of her annoyed glaring jet black eyes with a bleach white glove. Despite her elegant silver dress, prim ballet shoes and overall queenly appearance, her strength was visible in her size and noticeable muscle structure. In fact, even the girl wearing an Ursa skin was shorter than the Faunus, her posture potentially factoring into this visual. Not to mention her temper was clearly not something that was difficult to trigger. "How long are you going to stand there and stare? Honestly."

Flustered and not wishing to anger the scary Huntress-in-training, Ashley mumbled a response. Raqib seemed to almost slide in next to her. "Don't let my beautiful ally frighten you, my dear Ash," he whispered into her ear, his pouty lips almost brushing her skin. His long curly chestnut hair hung close to his face, bringing out the deep red of his eyes and his soft trimmed beard. A soft sound could be heard at this range as Ashley noticed that he was wearing earphones and must've been listening to some music playing device.

While his charming looks and honeyed words made him a hit with many ladies, Ashley was not one of them. Faster than the four students thought possible, the shopkeeper had taken evasive action and was now hiding behind the register. "I-I don't, uhh, have this order ready, r-right now. I h-have to, umm, finish setting up th-the store for op-opening. O-uhh-okay?"

Darren nodded, turning to the door. "Understandable. We will return later tonight with the payment as well. Please ensure you have the order prepared." Motioning for the rest of his team to follow, he pushed open the door to the store. Tawny skipped after him, grinning widely. Raqib bowed deeply, sending Ashley a bright wink then followed after his Ursa-wearing teammate. Impala glared at Ashley one last time, running a gloved hand through her fine icy white locks before turning on her heel and taking her departure.

After the last of them had left, Ashley sighed, frustrated at how she had handled the entire social encounter. She realized too late that she had so many questions for them about Beacon. What were the professors like? How was it being a team? What weapons did they use? What was training like? How many Grimm had they killed? Was Pyrrha Nikos secretly a Grimmist?

Collapsing back into her seat, Ashley turned her attention back to the order she was to fill. She considered the possibility of declining the order. Professor Port would likely give her a long talking to about responsibility and perseverance, with at least three examples from his youth. But that wasn't what she was worried about… She had heard stories about Headmaster Ozpin, many of them about his love of tormenting others when he was denied what he wanted and his lack of compassion. Shivering at the thought of offending such a man, Ashley began to prepare the order. But not before realizing that she should probably still try and serve customers today. As she walked over to the entrance and flipped the sign to inform Vale City that _Ashes to Dust _was open, she hoped that Professor Port hadn't promised Ozpin a bulk discount or else Ashley was doomed.

After an unsurprisingly slow day, Team DIRT arrived at the store just as Ashley was closing shop. Tawny charged forward and hugged her once again, although more lightly this time. The shopkeeper was still uncomfortable with the sign of affection, regardless. As Raqib came forward, playfully flirting once again, Darren interrupted him before he could scare off Ashley a second time. "Is the Dust ready?"

Nodding as she was released from the Ursa-clad teen's embrace, Ashley motioned towards several large suitcases, eight in total. Each one was filled with several vials of Dust along with multiple crystals as well. The order had reduced the shop to a rather sparse setting, with almost two thirds of the shelves and wall-mounted displays empty. It had been rather exhausting to safely move and pack away the somewhat volatile energy source but Ashley had been extremely well-versed in the safety precautions and managed to avoid injury or destruction of property.

As the rest of her teammates went to go grab a pair of suitcases each, Impala was aghast. "They aren't seriously expecting us to carry these. Honestly, the supplier should be transporting these heavy things!"

"I can carry your share, my sweet Impala," crooned Raqib, a coy smile playing across his face.

"That's not the point, you moron!" cried the Faunus, her ears twitching in fury as she pointed an accusatory finger at Ashley. "Beacon is paying more than necessary for this supply so she should at least be responsible for delivery of the goods! Honestly!"

"Must you try and start a fight at every opportunity," muttered Darren, shaking his head sullenly. "This isn't your call to make. Besides, non-students and non-staffers aren't allowed onto Beacon grounds without express permission. As you yourself had insisted last year."

Her soft white skin reddening only slightly, Impala turned her glare on her hoodie-wearing teammate. She stammered for a few seconds, trying to find the words to declare his idiocy. Failing to find them, she grabbed the last remaining pair of suitcases and stormed out of the store. Darren glanced at Raqib, who nodded and ran after his teammate, crying out for her to stop and punctuating it with compliments.

Putting down his suitcases, Darren takes off the backpack he had been saddled with on this trip. "Your payment as promised; totalling 200,000 Lien." The hooded boy couldn't help but grin as Ashley's eyes widened. Darren was no expert on the Dust trade but he had a feeling that the academy was slightly overpaying for the stock they were getting. The shopkeeper's reaction confirmed this, as he left with the two suitcases.

Tawny pranced over to the flabbergasted girl and handed her a piece of paper. "If you ever wanna hang out or anything just lemme know, Ashy! And if you need help around the shop on the weekends, I'll see if I can convince Darey to get the rest of us to come down. Bye, cutie!" She gave Ashley one last tight hug before skipping off after her teammates.

Now all alone in the mostly barren shop, Ashley tore into the backpack and discovered, not entirely to her surprise, that all the Lien was there. As she carried the backpack up to her room for safe keeping, she wondered just how simple-minded the administration was to pay as much as they had for the Dust. She paused and smiled. Maybe Headmaster Ozpin was just a big pushover like Professor Port was. _Nah_, thought Ashley, as she slid into bed and pulled the covers up to her ears. _They're probably just bad at counting_…

**With new friends (and potentially one enemy) made, Ashley is finally settling into life as a shopkeeper in Vale City. But perhaps a chance encounter with some other Beacon Academy students will shake her up once more! Find out in the next chapter of ****_Ashes to Dust_****; Chapter 3: A Smile and a Hand!**


	3. Chapter 3: A Smile and a Hand

**A/N: Hey y'all! Hope you all had a fantastic holiday break so far and continue to do so into the New Year! I'm sorry that it's taken this long to get up Chapter 3 but between doing family stuff and doing a couple of one-shots (and getting roped into doing a gosh darn sequel to one, which will happen), I haven't had as much time as I'd hoped to work on this. But hey, it's here now! And we even get to see a few canon characters! Yay! Also, longer chapter than usual! Maybe yay! Chapter 4 won't be coming out this year, unfortunately, but I might get up a one-shot or two before the year's out!**

**RWBY, canon characters, and canon locations are all property of RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum. OC shenanigans are mine.**

**Chapter 3: A Smile and a Hand**

Ashley was up brighter and earlier than usual on this nippy autumn morning. The sun's rays were only barely creeping through her window as she tossed off her sheets and sprinted to the shower. Over the last two days, business was rather slow. This was somewhat of a blessing in disguise as _Ashes to Dust_'s Dust supply was beginning to run dangerously low. Ashley had received a message from the Schnee Dust Company that a representative would be meeting with her over the weekend so she'd be fine. However, that wasn't the reason for today's early morning excitement.

Professor Port had stopped by last night to extend her an official invitation to meet with the faculty members. Apparently, due to being the main supplier of Dust to the school for academic and training purposes, she was considered an 'honorary' staffer. As a result, Headmaster Ozpin wished to meet her himself as well as introduce her to her 'fellow' staff members. This meant a day at Beacon Academy, something she had always dreamed of. And today was the day that that dream would come true. Sure, she had wanted to be there as a student but she remembered that she had always been taught that beggars can't be choosers and was she ever a metaphorical beggar in this situation.

Grabbing the nicest outfit she had and throwing it on, the shopkeeper smiled at her reflection in the mirror, practising her manners and conversation skills. Of course, the pressure of this practice being last minute was not lost on Ashley, as she flubbed and muttered constantly to her own mirror image. She shuddered to think about how unprofessional she'd look in front of the faculty, fancy clothes or not.

On the subject, Ashley admired the suit-and-pants outfit she was wearing. It was simple in its white blouse and black dress pants but it was very professional. Adjusting the short black tie, she fetched the last part of the outfit and donned the crimson red blazer. She had always kind of regretted having not picked out a matching black blazer over the flashier red, but she felt its bizarre look sort of represented her. Toying with the end of her ponytail, Ashley smiled, genuinely this time.

"If Port thinks I'm fine, I'm sure the rest won't mind…"

Grabbing some Lien for the airbus fare, Ashley burst out the store's backdoor, ensuring it got locked after her. Having spent almost an hour in the shower, she would not be able to leisurely stroll the streets as she had hoped and jogged towards the station that would take her to Beacon Academy. As she made a good time, she patted her pockets to ensure that the invitation was still there. After a split second of holding her breath when it wasn't in her pant pockets, she was relieved to find it in the blazer's right pocket.

The brief respite was interrupted by the buzzing of her scroll. The single buzz told Ashley to check her text messages and, sure enough, a new one was waiting for her examination. "hey ashy herd u were comin 2 scool 2day! cant w8 2 c u, qt!" read the message. Ashley sighed as she thought of Tawny, the fun-loving girl who sent the jumbled up message. While the rest of Team DIRT were nice enough, Tawny had actually visited Ashley the day after the Dust purchase, talking to her about Beacon and all the fun training to be a Huntress held for the Ursa-skin clad teen. The shopkeeper appreciated the kindness but felt overpowered by the larger girl, which made perfect sense.

Arriving at the airbus station and boarding without any trouble, Ashley continued to reflect on her new friend. Tawny was a well-toned battle machine, evident simply by looking at her tall, muscular form. Hearing her tell tales of past challenges, this became only more evident. Her tales included feats such as suplexing, which was explained to Ashley as grappling an opponent from behind and slamming them into the ground by arcing one's back, Beowolves and once punching an Ursa through multiple trees. Ashley would normally be apprehensive about such stories but something about the cheery and carefree way Tawny would describe the events lent them a feeling of sincerity.

Ashley was drawn out of her thoughts when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she found herself face to face with another woman; as featureless as almost every person she ever met. "Remember me?" the woman asked, posing the question the short teen had been instantly dreading.

Against all odds, Ashley's memory was helpfully jogged by the young girl standing next to her interrogator. She had long blond hair and stared up at her with deep azure eyes, filled with a vague curiosity and wonder. There was iron and strength behind that gaze, Ashley was sure. She wore a blue mini-dress with separate bulky sleeves that shared the outfit's azure tone. Yet, none of this was what helped the memory. Around the girl's neck was a gorgeous silver necklace in-laid with a shimmering emerald Dust crystal, making her think back to the beginning of the eventful week.

"You were my first customer!" said a grinning Ashley, to the relief of both herself and her conversational partner. Ashley turned her smile to the young pre-teen standing next to her mother. "And you must be Noel. Your mother has told me so many, um, stories about you!"

The girl seemed to lose the curiosity shimmering in her eyes to have it replaced with nervousness and timidity. She even blushed a little, which Ashley thought was pretty adorable, although she had likely been in a similar situation far too many times to count. She murmured a quick thank you then looked up expectantly at her mother. A quick stiff nod sent the girl running off towards a bunch of other girls that Ashley could only guess were her friends.

"Sorry about that," smiled the mother, watching after her daughter. "She's not very comfortable around strangers though she never seems to have problems fitting in with her own age group and friends…"

Ashley merely continued to smile nervously, a bit disappointed that the ride up to Beacon Academy was not going to be as quiet as she had initially hoped. Sighing quietly, she returned to watching the far off ground of Vale City's dark brick buildings fade away as the airbus began its quick route of passing the rest of the commercial district before moving onto Beacon Academy. Spying around the bus, Ashley noticed that there didn't seem to be any students her age on the airship. It made sense, she admitted, what with it being a Friday morning.

With a fumbled attempt at making small talk, Ashley was thankfully left to her own devices once more when Noel and her mother left at their stop. As the airbus took to the skies once more, she took a deep breath as she felt her nerves heighten as Beacon beckoned. Moving at a brisk walking pace, Ashley spent the rest of the trip next to the on-board vomit can. Just in case.

The relief of the docking didn't help her jumpy stomach much as she shuffled off the bus. The sheer size of the enormous academy for future Huntsmen and Huntresses definitely did not help, as her knees began to shake violently. The early morning fall mist made the building look even more castle-like; almost like out of a fairytale. The spires of the many buildings jutted into the sky as if to hold it alof on their points, blades beating back the encroaching fog. _Just this once_, she almost cried to herself, taking her time moving forward. _Just this once, please don't let me embarrass myself…_ Inching along with baby steps, Ashley took a small comfort in the early morning mist keeping the students in their rooms and away from her embarrassing shuffle towards the central building, where Professor Port had agreed to meet her. Her teeth were soon clacking along with her knobby knees, as the wet air began to weigh down on her. She knew she should've brought a proper heavy jacket or at least a windbreaker… "Ugh… This is an excellent start…" she muttered to herself, as she finally reached the heavy red doors that stood between her and a meeting with a family friend and a bunch of strangers. Despite the crushing dread and fear of being laughed off, Ashley bit her lip and pushed.

The doors didn't budge. This, of course, freaked out the young shopkeeper immensely, fearing it was some subtle hint from the universe. "Oh Dust, I've made a huge mistake…" Beginning to fear for her personal safety of insulting whatever potential greater powers existed, she slid to the ground, her back to the door and her head hidden behind her bent up knees. Due to not seeing anything with her closed eyes and hearing nothing but her own frets, she failed to notice a certain scraggily young man who had been on his own secret morning stroll.

"Uh… Ar-Are you okay?" asked the blond boy, a little confused at the rather business-y looking girl in front of him. She was far shorter than he was, maybe even shorter than Weiss. He figured her a bit younger but when she looked up at him with those dark teary grey eyes, he saw the soul of a young woman, not a young girl. He extended an open hand and adopted a dorky grin to his dismayed peer.

Ashley looked at the gloved hand for a minute before examining the owner of it. His shaggy blond hair was a short mess while his wide, happy eyes were a piercing yet calming blue. He wore a bizarre chestplate with a few other pieces of armour but nothing that seemed to offer a great deal of coverage. Aside from that, he wore a dark hoodie and a pair of roughed up blue jeans. After a moment of shared eye contact, she had to look away as her skin began to tint. "N-Not, umm, really… The-The door won't open and I-I, uhh, I'm supposed to, uhh, meet with the staff… I'm such a disaster…"

The young man chuckled and scratched the back of his neck with his spare hand. "Don't worry about it; maybe the door is just jammed." Moving to the left door which Ashley wasn't leaning up against, Jaune gave it a good shove. Nothing. Grumbling, he pushed again but harder this time. Less than nothing. "Just… Just give me a second, I've got this, my dear."

Ashley's attention was spiked by what he called her. While she had gotten used to Professor Port calling her that, this was a guy around her age. Her blushing intensified, she began to examine her dress shoes with a greater focus than she ever looked at any shoes when shopping. All the while, her knight in shining armour still failed to open the door, but not for a lack of effort and muttered curses. Sighing deeply, the blond pulled away in frustration, his fingers lingering on the handle as he did so.

The sound of the door opening caused the two to look at each other briefly, then at the closing door. "Oh my Dust…" muttered Ashley, her voice barely escaping her throat, embarrassment deeply clear in its tone. "I am… So, so, so sorry…" She got up as fast as she could, failing to notice that the blond had extended a hand to help her up.

The Beacon student chuckled, looking away out of his own sense of awkwardness. He had planned on coming to this nice girl's rescue and he ended up looking like a total doofus in the process. _Just once_, he thought to himself, grinding his teeth behind his humiliated grin. _Just once I'd like to be the cool guy to help a girl, or even a guy, in need_. "D-Don't worry about it, my de—" The girl had left him alone and had entered the building herself, leaving the blond to watch as the door slowly closed shut. He was sure that functioned as some sort of metaphor for his life and sat down on the ground himself. Maybe a re-evaluation of his life choices were in order…

Ashley felt a little guilty about leaving the cute blond alone but she would be late at this rate and she couldn't stand for that to happen. After all, the school had bought most of her Dust supply at a higher price than needed so she was in their debt. The realization sunk in and sunk her soul. Oh Dust, she was in the school's debt. If they asked anything of her, she couldn't refuse now!

As fear gripped the short shopkeeper viciously once more, a boisterous laugh quickly beat it away. "There you are, my dear Ashley!" Professor Port was smiling at her down the hallway, waving an enormous hand that motioned for her to follow him. "I was afraid something might have happened to you! In fact, I was about to ask Ozpin if I could wrangle up a few first-years to help me search for you!"

Ashley blushed and swung her arms in front of her rapidly. "Nonononono! No need for that, Professor! I'm, uhh, fine." Luckily, she hadn't applied a lot of make-up before going out or it would've smeared from her tears. As it was, only fading streaks of evaporated tears remained on her cheeks as she attempted to smile widely at her family friend.

Port figured he could let it go and simply handed her a handkerchief. As the two progressed down the hall, he began to explain the situation to her. "Unfortunately, a few of the professors have lectures and seminars now so we won't have the full staff around. Luckily, I was free because the idea of teaching classes on Fridays seems almost sinful!" Port laughed long and hard at his own 'joke', while Ashley chuckled faintly.

After a minute of walking, the duo arrived at the headmaster's office, which seemed a lot smaller than the shopkeeper would've guessed it to be. As the modest door gave way to Professor Port's gentle shove, Ashley noticed there were only two others in the room: an older man with thick tousled grey hair and sharp brown eyes in a dark green outfit and a younger woman (well, younger compared to the man) with bright blond hair in a bun with focused emerald eyes wearing a black and white skirt and blouse ensemble. As Port and Ashley entered the room, the two adjust their spectacles in synch with one another. With all the eyes on her, she couldn't help but gulping nervously and was amazed she limited it to just that.

"Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Miss Match," smiled the older man, gesturing for her to take a seat with his open gloved hand. "I am Headmaster Ozpin and this is my wonderful assistant, Professor Goodwitch." The blond woman nodded but her fierce gaze gave no illusion of warmth; she was wearing the pants in this business relationship.

"H-Hello," squeaked Ashley, smiling nervously and nodding at the two who had just been introduced to her. "I-I'm Ashley Match, umm, owner and, uhh, proprietor of _Ashes to Dust_…" _They know that already, you dunce!_

Port merely laughed and Ozpin appeared to chuckle as well. "Well, now that we have names out of the way—"

"Where's Oobleck?" inquired Port, frowning as he realized that the meeting was starting with only the four in the room.

"Emergency with some of the students getting into an altercation again," sighed Glynda, sounding more annoyed than upset at the concept of students fighting. "He extends his apologies."

"He does, doesn't he?" Port's sense of humour was rather wide, as Ashley had learned over the years but was quickly realizing that it wasn't helping her spiking levels of discomfort. "That scallywag… If it was I who was sent to deal with warring student feuds, the situation would have been solved and I would've been waiting for my dear Ashley all the same!"

Glynda's glare sent shivers down Ashley's spine, even if it wasn't directed at her. "Oh? Well I did send you a message detailing this issue maybe ten minutes ago, yet you gave me no response."

"Well, you see, ahh, this darn fangled technology is so unreliable these days…"

Ashley noticed that Ozpin had only recently paid attention to the argument springing up around him, preferring to focus on her. It made her deeply uncomfortable, as if her very soul was being searched. "We can have your scroll examined later, Peter. However, we have a guest here so I believe we should discuss why she is here, yes?" Picking up a mug of coffee, the headmaster of Beacon took a long sip from it before smiling at Ashley. "Do you have any idea why we invited you to our great and humble academy today, Miss Match?"

Ashley felt her foot begin to tap out some imaginary tempo as she thought about the question. "No-no, not really," she mumbled, looking away from Ozpin's intense gaze. "It-It can't, umm, be about the, uhh, Dust; I-I ensure that all my, ahh, products are safe and, umm, functional."

Ozpin's soft smile grew a little wider as a small chuckle escaped his lips. "No, no, not at all, Miss Match. Your Dust is of excellent quality and we appreciate you taking our order on such short notice." He paused to take another sizeable gulp of coffee. "No, Miss Match, we were wondering if you would be interested in giving a few guest lectures of the Dust market and safe usage of Dust for the first-years."

Ashley wasn't sure if she felt more terrified or honoured by this request. So she settled for confused. "Wh-Why me, s-sir?" Her foot tapped the air at a far faster rater and she felt hot in her double-layers.

"Well, Professor Port vouched for your knowledge on the subject and it would be a wonderful opportunity for future Huntsmen and Huntresses to learn of the importance in dealing with vendors and the market. Believe it or not, Miss Match, but some graduates from Beacon seek a slower paced life than one filled with hunting ravenous Grimm and criminals."

"O-Okay, but, umm, why _me_, sir? Why me and not some, ahh, other Dust vendor?"

Glynda decided to take the discussion over now, deciding that they had beat around the bush enough. "We asked a few others but they are all too buys and self-centered to take time out of their day to speak with their future guardians and customers."

Ashley froze under the cold gaze of those bright green eyes. _If I say no, she'll think I'm selfish! But… That's not it! I just can't…_ "I-I'm so-sorry but I, umm, work my store all by myself… I-I can-can't just, uhh, leave it…"

Ozpin continued to be the good cop to Glynda's blunt cop. "We won't ask for much of your time and we will be happy to reimburse you for your time."

"Well, I-I, umm, guess…"

"Excellent! Welcome aboard the SS Beacon, Miss… No, _Professor_ Match!" Port's laugh snuck a smile onto Ashley's face, as he helped her out of the chair and into a warm embrace.

Glynda cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses in time with the headmaster. "I will send you the needed paperwork via scroll, Professor Match. Your first guest lecture will be on Tuesday. I suggest you discuss a brief introduction on the uses and history of Dust in relation to you and the trade. If you require any assistance, myself and Professor Port will be glad to assist you in preparations."

Ashley weakly nodded as she thanked everyone for their kindness as she left the office. As she opened the door, she walked out and collided face first into a familiar face in the empty hallway. "Oof!" was the sound she heard before she found herself on her rear once again. The boy had not been knocked over and, for the second time today, stood above her with that silly grin and a kindly hand extended.

"Maybe we should introduce ourselves, hot stuff. Name's Jaune Arc."

He wouldn't get a response from the furiously blushing girl who stammered and mumbled before making a break for the exit of the building. She had a lot of work to do and she just wasn't prepared to deal with a cute boy right now. Especially not one who called her 'hot stuff'.

**So now our young heroine finds herself having to lead a lecture of her peers! How on Remnant will she survive? And will her relationship with Jaune develop into a romance for the ages or will the two of them be too dorky to endure? When will Team RWBY actually show up to do stuff? Find out in the next exciting chapter of ****_Ashes to Dust_**** - Chapter 4: A Lesson in Lessons!**


	4. Chapter 4: Rumour Mill

**A/N: Hey y'all, hope you've had a great 2014 so far! This isn't the chapter I teased at the end of Chapter 3, as I wanted to do a particular scene and it ended up being far longer than initially expected. Regardless, this is a rather short chapter, with Team DIRT showing up again. I feel like I did a better job at showcasing some of their quirks and personalities this time than their initial introduction so yay for that. No points for being able to guess who the mystery person the question at the end of the chapter is about.**

**RWBY and all canon characters and locations are owned by Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth. Original characters and locations are mine. Mine, mine, mine!**

**Comments and criticisms are greatly appreciated!**

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**Chapter 4: Rumour Mill**

As the countdown for her lesson approached far faster than she hoped, Ashley had been busy. Both with the encroaching teaching opportunity and around the shop. The weekend had been so busy she barely had any time to work on her actual presentation rather than just worry about it.

Her first official Dust shipment had gone swimmingly well, with the Schnee Company's representative being very cordial and being blessedly quick with the transaction. She knew they were simply transporting goods but the whole bodyguard outfit was a little intimidating to the small town girl. Luckily, with the payment she received from Beacon, she could easily cover the costs and was quickly replenishing her supply.

The next day she was astonished by having upwards of ten customers come through, including Mrs. Vermillion, who likely was responsible for all the newcomers. It puzzled Ashley why this near stranger was so nice to her but she didn't feel like questioning a good thing.

As she was closing for the night on Sunday, Raqib and Tawny swung by to talk to her. As much as Tawny still doted on Ashley like she was her younger sister, Raqib continued his flirtatious behaviour. That is until his teammate gave him a rather piercing glare. Getting the picture, the three sat down to have a proper chat.

"So, umm, how are classes?" asked the shopkeeper, smiling timidly at Tawny but making sure not to send any mixed messages to her admittedly handsome ally.

"Nevermind them," laughed Raqib, his crimson red eyes sparkling with secrets. "You should hear the gossip going around. Quite a few tasty tidbits, if ya ask me, 'hot stuff'."

This elicited a heavy punch from Tawny, sending the still laughing Hunter face first into the floor, much to the heavy embarrassment of the madly blushing Ashley. Slowly standing up and brushing himself off, he finished his chuckling. "C'mon, that wasn't even me hitting on her; you wouldn't catch me ever using such childish pick-up lines."

The Ursa skin-clad girl merely glared at her teammate through her chocolaty brown eye. "Yeah right, Rachibi; I'm pretty sure you dropped that line on that blonde first year."

Raqib snickered, slowly shaking his head. "I called her 'smoking', Tawny; there's no real parallel." Before his teammate could respond, he turned back to Ashley. "But there's still plenty of gossip going around aside from your love life, my dear Ashley."

Before she could ask what Raqib meant or, more likely, fervently deny these lewd accusations, Tawny was upon her, like a bear on a salmon. "Oh my Dust, when did you get a boyfriend?!" she loudly enquired, shaking her younger friend. "Or girlfriend, that's okay too. When can I meet them? Do I already know them? What's their na—No wait, I wanna guess… Is it… Darren?!"

Ashley shook her head as viciously as she could. "N-n-no! I don't have any boyfriends or girlfriends!"

Raqib merely grinned at her, his bright white teeth on full display as he ratcheted up the charm. "Jaune will be heartbroken to hear that…"

Tawny looked back and forth between the two so fast it seemed her head would come off. "Wait, Jaune Arc? That dorky first year?"

"He's not, umm, dorky!" squeaked Ashley, in defense of the blond boy who had made a pass at her. Seeing the glint in the eyes of her two friends, she instantly regretted it.

"Oh my Dust, you two would be a cute couple, don't-cha think, Rachibi?"

"I personally think our dear Ashley should aim a little higher than some blond dope. Maybe a devilishly handsome tanned man with eyes as brilliantly red as a flame…"

Tawny rolled her eyes and sighed. "That was definitely you trying to hit on Ashy. You know the rules, Rachibi."

"Three strikes and I'm out," recited the red-eyed Huntsman, snickering to himself. "Yes, yes I'm aware of this horrible rule you and the rest of Team KLJY have inflicted upon me."

"So, uhh, what else were you going to, umm, talk about?" probed Ashley, eager to get conversation away from her and maybe ease the tension between the R and the T of Team DIRT.

Raqib's wide grin and Tawny's smaller smile made it feel like it was at least a step in the right direction. "Well, there's some unimportant non-dating stuff but a little birdie told me that our fearless leader might be making a beary romantic move on—"

He wouldn't be given a chance to finish, getting launched by another punch from Tawny. He wasn't too happy about it this time. "C'MON! I wasn't even hitting on anyone!" Ashley swore she saw anger shimmer in his eyes before he blinked and ran his hands through his thick messy brown hair. "In any case, it isn't about you, if that's what you thought."

Tawny raised an eyebrow before her eyes widened. "You mean—"

"Our own dearest Impala. Why else do you think he and her went off to do some shopping while the two of us are hear with our dear Ashley?" Raqib leaned in closer to the two girls, who mimicked his action despite the store being completely empty. "They're on a date."

Tawny shot up, face redder than her teammate's mischievous eyes. "N-no way! Darren would never date Impala!"

"And why's that? Because she'd be encroaching on your territory, my dear Tawny?"

Ashley swore she could feel actual heat emanating from the taller girl as she looked away from Raqib's impish grin. "Of… Of course not! Darren's like a brother to me! Like a…"

Raqib and Ashley shared a glance. While the shopkeeper hadn't expected Tawny to sound upset, she had certainly not expected to see something that looked suspiciously like fear in the boy's eyes. "I… I was only kidding, Tawny!" he said, racing to recover.

"Oh, okay then!" Tawny was instantly back to all smiles and playfully punching Raqib for being such a 'kidder'.

_I'm surrounded by crazy_, thought Ashley as she watched the two joke and poke each other. "Well, what about the, umm, non-dating stuff?"

"Yeah!" The tall girl had Raqib in a sleeper hold but wasn't applying any pressure. "What else are your little birdies telling ya?"

For a few seconds, the red-eyed Huntsman struggled to escape the hold but to no avail. Snickering, he attempted a shrug, hampered by the vice grip of his partner. "Well, there's lots. Like one girl named Ruby Rose is only 15."

"No way!" exclaimed Ashley, blown away at the thought of a girl that young making it into Beacon. She might even be better than Pyrrha! "What does she use?!"

The two members of Team DIRT blinked, confused at this seemingly out-of-character outburst from their shopkeeper friend. "I heard its like a scythe or something…"

Tawny released her teammate as another puzzle piece fell into place. "Oh my Dust, I heard about this girl! She and Professor Sandwich totally fought off that Roamy Torchsick guy at a Dust shop!"

Ashley's initial urge to discuss the battle prowess of this mysterious Ruby Rose was cut short by Tawny's last statement, who ignored the glare Raqib had sent her way for bringing up the robbery. "Wait… What?"

As Tawny finally realized what she said, her teammate murmured something into the palm of his hand. "Oh well… Umm… Some jerk named Roamy Torchsick attacked a Dust shop two weeks ago. But you shouldn't worry!" Grabbing Ashley's hands with her own, her deep brown eyes stared deep into Ashley's greys. "Team DIRT will always be here for you! No dirtbag criminal is gonna lay a finger on my Ashy! Ain't that right, Rachibi?"

Visibly impressed with the recovery of a situation he thought for sure was going to end poorly, Raqib chuckled as he ran his hand through his hair. "Your damn right, my dear Tawny. You have nothing to worry about, my dear Ashley."

"Why would she be worrying?"

The group turned to see a frowning Impala and a collected Darren walking through the door of the shop. Ashley, however, felt that the leader of Team DIRT was as unhappy as his companion. The faunus scoffed as she looked around the shop, a hand on her hip. "Probably just Raqib being a creep. Honestly."

"Now that's hardly fair, my dearest Impala," said Raqib, snickering and rubbing his neck. "Our dear Tawny here merely gave her a bit of a fright by talking about the _From Dawn to Dust_ robbery."

"C'mon Tawny," sighed Darren, slowly shaking his hooded head. "There really is no need to scare our friend like that. Besides, the police are doubling their efforts to catch the dirtbag, so you have nothing to worry about, Ashley."

"Soooooo…" began Raqib, slapping Darren hard on the back. "How was the night out with Impala?"

"Awful!" snarled the polar bear faunus, shaking her long mane of platinum blonde hair. "We went looking for some nice club to go to but a bunch of first-years were making idiots of themselves and our fearless leader had to go bail them out. Honestly, it was horrid."

Ashley winced as Impala laid it on thick but Darren did an excellent job of seeming unfazed. "In any case, we should all get heading back for the night." A soft smile was on his face as he looked at Ashley, who quickly averted her gaze. "And best of luck with your class on Tuesday, Ashley. Those first-years owe me a favour now so I think I'll get them to lend you a hand. One in particular might be of great assistance for your subject."

Raqib raised an eyebrow as Tawny bounced up to join Darren's side. "Just who the hell did you two bump into, Darren? What would some first-years know about the Dust trade?"

"That's on a need-to-know basis, Raqib. Frankly, you don't. Now come on, we don't need to suffer another lecture from Professor Goodwitch about staying out too late when we have her class in the morning."

As the group left, Ashley stood alone in the store, puzzling over who might Darren and Impala had met that could help her. While Pyrrha Nikos may be a very successful athlete and future Huntress, the storekeeper doubted her knowledge of the mercantile values of Dust. Ruby Rose might be an incredible prodigy in fighting with a scythe but would she be aware of the Statute of Tagged Unified Dust? Unlikely.

As Ashley locked the door, and double checked it to be sure, the question followed her. It continued to follow her as she climbed up the stairs and slipped into bed. Even in her sleep, it followed her. Along with nightmares of getting laughed out of the classroom for numerous reasons, once even for being in her pyjamas and another time for even more indecent exposure.

_What kind of first-year would be able to help her talk about Dust?_

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**And so the big day continues to approach. Will Ashley be able to succeed in her debut lesson? Who is the mysterious person who might be able to help her? Seriously, where the hell is Team RWBY for crying out loud? Find out in the next exciting chapter of ****_Ashes to Dust_****: Chapter 5 - A Lesson in Lessons!**


End file.
